Release – The Journey Back to Yourself

By Jillian Locke

The journey to wellness is always…well, exactly that. There’s no from zero to one hundred, but small, steady progressions. It forces you to keep in check with yourself, to listen to yourself, to get to know your body. And you DO get to know your body—parts of it you didn’t even know existed!

And something else happens along the way…a not-so-little thing called release. You really have no idea how much physical and emotional baggage you’re carrying until it starts to fall away. In the beginning, you feel like you’re literally melting away. Pants are sagging, that once snug shirt starts the fit the way it’s supposed to. You’re riding high on top of this new pinnacle, feeling emotions and elations you had only dreamed about back when you opted to sleep in rather than go for that early morning run or bike ride.

You’re climbing. And climbing equals progress, which feels OH-SO-GOOD. The physical signs are all there, but then comes the next process—checking in with yourself. Becoming comfortable with the new you in the mirror. This might sound ridiculous, but the shift from one version of yourself to the next, more improved version takes place more in your head than on your hips. You actually have to acclimate to this new version of yourself, and part of that work is feeling worthy of this new-found awesomeness.

Finding your way into this new headspace is half the journey towards release. You face old attachments, old habits, old ways of thinking of your life and your place in it. This is where creation comes into play, as in creating the new you. As you move into this fresh space, you’ll find yourself drawn to new things, (maybe) healthier things. You find that your eyes change, in that you see things and people and circumstances differently.

But this doesn’t happen overnight, and there are many, MANY relapses. We don’t realize how habitual we are until we’re asked to let go of those rituals to welcome and adapt to new ones, routines that we know are better for our bodies and minds…we don’t realize that knowing doesn’t necessarily make it any easier. We’re programmed to think that once we know something, that’s enough, and we’re changed. And that couldn’t be more wrong.

There are facts and there is knowledge, but in order to really absorb this new information, you need to live it. Experience it. Become it. You need to release the image of yourself in your mind and start seeing yourself for who you really are and what you’ve become—changed.

You expand. You start thinking of horizons and possibilities that once seemed blocked to you. Fears slowly release, mental restraints loosen, and this strange word called allowance enters your vocabulary. You notice changes in your life, like what starts showing up in your life and what starts fading out. Dreams start to seem more attainable, not so out of reach. You find yourself swirling in this new pool possibility and dare you imagine it…freedom?

Increased energy and enthusiasm lead to increased stamina, vision, and clarity. Buried aspirations are resurrected, and you realize the power to manifest everything you’ve ever wanted has always been sleeping, dormant inside of you, just waiting to be awakened and discovered and exercised. Light starts to fill your experience where once darkness and weight held you down. You spread your wings, flex your mind and spirit, and continue to climb this steady ascent into becoming…

Discovery is a new wave to ride, a new trail to explore, a new road to travel. There are ups and downs, elations and disappointments, perceived failures and mistakes. But know this—nothing is a mistake. There’s no such thing as a misstep. Every single footfall and curiosity and attempt is another rung on the ladder, and that ladder is never-ending. That can either become the most overwhelming concept, or the most enlightening, heart-expanding notion you’ll ever accept. And at the end of the day, release can only truly happen once you learn the beauty and miracle of acceptance.

And once you’ve accepted that you’re exactly where you’re meant to be, supposed to be, and that the miracle of your blossoming and growth and expansion IS the ultimate journey, then you can truly begin to enjoy and become one with the infinite ascent.

“To take in a new idea you must destroy the old, let go of old opinions, to observe and conceive new thoughts. To learn is but to change your opinion.”